2022 Willamette Valley Vineyards Whole Cluster Rose of Pinot Noir Willamette Valley

Winemaker Notes:  Tones of blush and pink shine with juicy aromatics include pomegranate, strawberry and hints of rose petal. Seamless flavors of Ruby Red grapefruit, watermelon and citrus on the palate with natural acidity and tannin. The wine is fruit forward and has a round mouthfeel for a rosé-style production.

 Our Whole Cluster Rosé is hand harvested in the early morning. About half of the grapes go directly to press for whole-berry pressing and the remaining amount is gently placed into a chilled tank. The soft gravity pressing created only by the weight of the clusters themselves breaks open the berry skins and releases delicate, free-run Pinot Noir juice. Initially, the color of the juice is a pale pastel pink, but after 24 hours of skin contact, the beautiful rose-hued pink juice is pulled from the tank. The remaining whole clusters are left behind in the vessel to ferment and become our Whole Cluster Pinot Noir. That pink juice is fermented cold in stainless steel tanks using yeasts which preserve and accentuate the delicate aromas. The wine was racked off its yeast lees immediately post-fermentation to maintain fresh, fruity, floral characteristics. We bottle this Whole Cluster Rosé of Pinot Noir early in the year to preserve the fresh characteristics